Guilty
by CandyCoupe
Summary: Something terrible happens in Radiator Springs... and the Delinquent Road Hazards are blamed for it. But apparently, only one of the four punk cars commited the crime. Whodunnit Boost, DJ, Wingo or Snot Rod? The reader gets to vote when I say so!
1. All Work And No Play

_The first instalment in my chapter story "Guilty", featuring the DRHs and the folk at Radiator Springs. Enjoy!_**

* * *

****Chapter One: All Work And No Play**

'This sucks tailpipe,' groaned Boost. 'Why do we have to pull this crappy thing anyway?'

'I reckon!' moaned Wingo. 'And look – now I've got tar all over my pretty spoiler!'

'Shut up, Ladderbutt,' grumbled DJ. 'It could be a lot worse.'

As these three tuners began arguing yet again, the little orange muscle car on the end of the line said nothing. Snot Rod was hardly ever one to argue, or even talk, for that matter. He was commonly known as the "shy one", which didn't help his reputation as a Delinquent Road Hazard much. Since when were criminals so _timid_?

Sheriff watched from the side of the road and smiled lazily. 'You kids can never keep your mouths shut… it amuses me so.'

'Can it, Copface,' Boost growled.

'See? There you go again.' The old police car laughed. 'You know, I haven't found so much enjoyment in watching criminals pull Bessie for years and years. I guess I really ought to thank you.'

'Yeah, you should thank us for existing. We're the best car gang in America!' said Wingo indignantly. 'In fact, if it weren't for us pushing that big fat truck around, your rookie hotshot racecar would never have fallen out of his trailer and there would have never been a story about everyone in this friggin' movie!'

DJ blinked. 'What movie?'

'…I dunno,' Wingo said. 'I must be going insane from the heat of the sun.'

'Damn right,' smiled Sheriff. 'It's so much fun to watch.' And without another word, he turned around and rolled in the direction of Flo's, leaving the four cars to glare after him.

'That cop,' hissed Snot Rod, 'is so _dead_.'

The others were mildly surprised; Snot Rod hardly ever spoke at his own will or even possessed a menacing attitude. Nonetheless, they nodded their hoods in agreement, just before Bessie boiled over and sent a fresh wave of tar splattering over them.

* * *

It was the night of Guy Forde's; a popular holiday in the world of Cars that everyone enjoyed. Not only that, but it was also Wheel Well's 41st anniversary, which had brought a lot of attention to Route 66, the mother road. Sally called the residents of Radiator Springs over to Flo's so she could speak to them.

'I had this wonderful idea of what we could do tonight, seeing as it's Guy Forde's,' she announced. 'I think we should throw a big fireworks party over at Wheel Well, so we can celebrate both occasions at once! Everyone is welcome, and we should invite our relatives over too, as a small reunion. How about that, folks?'

'_Fantastico!_' Luigi exclaimed happily.

'Sounds miiint, man,' Fillmore sang.

'Count me in!' Ramone grinned.

Everyone cheered and started talking excitedly in agreement. Lightning smiled fondly at Sally. 'How do you think up such beautiful places to go and things to do?' he asked. 'Ever since you took me on that drive when I first arrived here… I was enchanted by not only the place, but also by… by you.'

Sally chuckled and gave him a small peck on his bumper. 'And to top it off, _you_ were there too, Stickers.'

Lightning felt like he had just melted on his tyres.

'Wait a minute,' Flo said suddenly, breaking the chatter. 'What about them Delinquent boys? What're we going to do with them?'

Everyone's eyes traveled first to the weary Delinquent Road Hazards, who were still hooked up to Bessie nearby; and then to Sheriff, waiting for the verdict. The police car sighed. 'Well, we have to let their punishment stick, no doubt about that,' he said. 'And we can't risk taking them to the party, in case they wreak yet more havoc.'

'Aw, man!' Boost whispered inaudibly: he was just thinking about lighting fire to a bush or something.

'However,' Sheriff continued, 'they do look pretty darn tired, and I don't think working late at night could be good for them. I think they deserve a break, which could be their way of celebrating Guy Forde's. Boys, I'll unhook you from Bessie tonight and you'll be free to do anything recreational, just so long as you stay within the town boundaries – from the Radiator Springs welcoming sign to the fire station at the other end of the street. And just to make sure you don't do anything, I'll voluntarily stay here to watch over the town. Fireworks were never my thing, anyway. Mater… unhook them.'

As the rusty tow truck obediently drove over to free the Delinquents, DJ gave a sigh of relief and murmured to Wingo, 'I'm so glad Mr Cranky Old Donut Bag is giving us a break, yo.' Wingo snorted with laughter at his reference to Sheriff.

None of the Delinquent Road Hazards thanked Sheriff; they were too worn out and still annoyed at him. "If there's one thing I hate more than anything else," Boost had once remarked, "it's screwy old cops who love to ridicule me."

All of the residents of Radiator Springs (excluding Sheriff) clustered together at the beginning of the road that led to Wheel Well. Doc Hudson emerged from his tool shed with Mater, who was towing a cart full of fireworks behind him. Flo was carrying plates of refreshments and oil with the help of Guido. Sally turned around and beamed at everyone. 'Okay, all set? Let's go!' she cried, and this was followed by cheers from all round.

As everyone set off down the lane, Sally and Doc turned to Sheriff. 'You'll be all right back here looking after the boys, won't you?' Doc asked. 'They won't cause you too much trouble?'

Sheriff smiled. 'Don't you worry, Doc. These troublemakers can't do anything under my control.'

* * *

_Hmmm, what's gonna happen, then? Find out... in the next chapter of Guilty! (cheesy heroic music during credits) Reviews are welcome._


	2. Under Cover Of Night

_Yeeees, the second chapter in the story... muahaha... are you ready?_

* * *

**Chapter Two: Under Cover Of Night**

Shadows intertwined throughout the dark streets of Radiator Springs, coiling around the buildings and licking the few drops of moonlight like hungry serpents. It was a fairly cloudy night, and the air was cool and crisp. An elderly police officer sat just outside the courthouse at the end of the road, concentrating on some law enforcement papers by the open glow of his headlights.

His latest document was on the separate extra sentences for the four punk outlaws, or the "Delinquent Road Hazards", as they preferred to be called. _I really have these damn kids nailed,_ he thought. _They surely deserve what they're going to get tomorrow._

Boost, being the ruthless leader of the gang, had been sentenced to six weeks of solid general community service throughout the town, which included fixing some more road. Sheriff gazed out through the darkness, just to make sure that Boost's unique magenta neon glow could be distinguished near Flo's, where he had apparently chosen to rest.

Back to the documents. DJ and Wingo had received the same period of time, which was four weeks each of standard community service after fixing the road. Sheriff knew that they had both gone to spend some quiet time together in the Impound tonight. Finally, because Snot Rod had not committed as much crime as his peers (always being rather hesitant and all), he received three weeks of community service. The old police officer suddenly remembered that Snot Rod had not said anything about where he was going during his break for tonight… where was the lad?

A pair of bright yellow headlights illuminated the road stretched out ahead, and they seemed to bob closer and closer. When they reached the end of the road, Sheriff came face to face with a young female Mitsubishi Roadster. She smiled when she saw him.

'Hi, nice night, isn't it?'

Sheriff smiled back. 'It sure is… but why are you out here all alone on Guy Forde's night?'

'My name is Kelora, and I'm trying to find my way to the Interstate,' the little dark green car replied. After looking Sheriff up and down and recognizing his black-and-white officer paintjob, she went on, 'I was just wondering if you could please direct me to the Interstate, sir?'

After being given a carefully instructed route from Sheriff, Kelora thanked him gratefully. 'I'm glad this place got put back on the map! 'I heard folks around here are so helpful, and now I know.' She chuckled. 'I might come back here for a coffee and a shopping spree later. Well, see ya around!'

'You too,' Sheriff said brightly as she resumed her journey down the road.

After doing some more paperwork, he stretched on his axles and yawned widely. It was nine-thirty in the evening and the place was already starting to become pitch-black in this summer atmosphere. _I'll do the documents later,_ he thought lazily, and slowly rolled down the road, appreciating how quiet and peaceful it was. As Sheriff passed the flickering orange traffic light in the center of the town, he smiled, silently giving reminiscence on how long that one little light had been there…

All of the sudden, the light flickered rapidly and went out with a _buzz_.

Sheriff blinked, jolted awake from his thoughts. What happened?

His grey-blue eyes traveled about his surroundings. He noticed that the lights at Flo's had also dimmed… and that when he looked towards the Impound, there was no sign of any blue or green neons, which would belong to DJ and Wingo. Sheriff could hear his own nervous breaths as he stared back towards the diner, where Boost had disappeared completely. And for some reason, he could hear a low rumbling of an engine in the distance… or maybe it was sputtering, like in the typical manner of a tractor. What was going on…?

'Boys?' he called out. 'Are you there?'

Silence. And then –

A short yell of surprised erupted from Sheriff's mouth as he was suddenly knocked hard in the side and thrown against the wall of a nearby building. Pain seared through his side, and he winced, feeling a hot, heavy breath against the side of his hood. His tyres scrabbled furiously as he tried to move, but he was completely pinned where he was. A set of blinding white headlights shone violently into his eyes, and he could just make out the unmistakable form of a windshield but no more than that, for there was no time whatsoever after a low, cold voice hissed:

'You don't know how long I've been wanting to do this… no more donuts for you, cop.'

Sheriff was about to desperately say something, but he couldn't – for there was a scorching blast of pain, and then everything went black.

* * *

'I don't think I've ever seen a night as beautiful as this,' Sally whispered.

The rookie racecar nodded dreamily, cuddling into her side at the edge of the cliff. Fireworks of all colours and varieties erupted spontaneously throughout the inky black sky; a huge bonfire was blazing some way away; and chatter, laughter and music filled the background, creating the masterpiece of what could only be an artistic god. The splendor was just too much for Lightning and Sally, together on a magic summer night.

'Wow, there are so many colours.' Lightning paused. 'In fact, they remind me of neons.'

'Like the ones in our town?' Sally replied. 'And the ones on them pimped-out street criminals?'

'Yeah,' Doc joined in, driving over. 'That reminds me… what time is it now?'

Sally looked up at the clock centered on the front wall of Wheel Well. 'Holy Chrysler, it's almost midnight! We had better be getting back sooner or later.'

Just then, there was a massive flicker of orange and gold and the bonfire suddenly died.

'Speak of the Devil,' Doc murmured as everyone started talking confusedly. 'All right.'

So the twelve inhabitants of Radiator Springs, along with many other cars who had decided to join the party, cruised down the road back in the direction of Radiator Springs. The bonfire may have surrendered to goodness knows what, but everyone was still chattering happily about how magnificent the fireworks had been and how good the drinks had tasted, and how funny it was when Mater was toasting marshmallows and almost set fire to his tyre in the process…

'I love you,' Sally whispered suddenly.

Lightning looked sideways at her, momentarily surprised. It was now just the two of them, together in a peaceful town with a beautiful climate. As his engine rose, the racecar gently pressed himself deeper into Sally's side, closed his eyes and their lips almost met –

'Holy hubcaps! What happened?!'

'How on earth…?'

'Shoooot, that's a dang lot of oil!'

The chatter rising amongst the Radiator Springs folk was now no longer of happiness and laughter, but had now changed to a shocked and even fearful tone. Lightning opened his eyes and stared at the large throng that was now gathering in the middle of the road. He pushed his way between a petrified Minny and Van, then stopped dead. His eyes widened as they came into contact with what lay before him.

Sheriff lay battered, bruised, dented and bloodied, wallowing unconscious in a spattered pool of his own slightly warm oil. There were scratches and rips all over his body, as if something with spiked rims had been clawing murderously at the old car. His left eye was slightly open, and a horrible cracked hole could be made out in the glass below his eyelid. His tyres were heavily punctured. The hood had been savagely torn off. Overall, he had been reduced to no more than a lifeless wreck… Lightning felt a shudder down his frame and slight tears to his eyes at the emphasis to the word "lifeless". No… Sheriff couldn't be _dead_, could he?

'Stand back, people, stand back! Let me through.'

Lightning turned to see Doc Hudson making his way through the maze of cars, his expression serious and concentrated. He rolled over to Sheriff's side, regardless of the sickening abundance of oil, and gently pressed his own hubcap to the torn-up space where Sheriff's hood would have been. He was apparently checking the police officer's pulse.

'He's still alive… but only just,' the old doctor said gravely. 'We don't have much time. Mater, quick – get him to my office.' As a frightened-looking Mater nodded and set to work at once, Doc Hudson remained in the center of the crowd and snarled, 'I want to know who did this. No, actually…' His voice lowered to a deadly mutter. 'I think we _already_ know.'

And then it happened. Automatically, all hoods of the Radiator Springs folk turned simultaneously towards a group of four cars, who were bunched together just a little way off. In a matter of five seconds, the entire town had gone completely silent and everyone present was facing the gang. A blazing pool of headlights fixed upon them, sending a large spotlight over Boost, DJ, Wingo and Snot Rod; all four of who possessed apprehensive looks on their faces.

This could only spell one word: _guilty_.

* * *

_AHAHAHAHAA, I'M SO EVIL LOL! -is beaten up by Sheriff fans- Nyeeehh... anyway... reviews please, before I pass out?_

_**NO, THIS IS NOT THE VOTING POINT YET. I SAY WHEN YOU VOTE. AND IT ISN'T NOW. OKAY? THANKS.**_


	3. Whodunnit?

_A fairly short and boring chapter, but hey, that's how the story goes. Read on, suckers._

* * *

**Chapter Three: Whodunnit?**

The Delinquent Road Hazards were sent to the Impound, and kept in silent captivity. The four punk cars did not speak to each other about what had happened; they were too wary of the glares and insults they were constantly receiving from cars outside of the Impound. So they remained silent, feeling too beaten down inside to say anything. They had also become horribly suspicious of each other, which didn't help their usually tightly bonded friendship at all.

Doc Hudson, meanwhile, was working on Sheriff for all of the next day. Because Sheriff was in such a poor condition, general clinic service was being temporarily put on hold, until Sheriff would become well enough to rest without any means of urgent medical attention.

It was eerily quiet throughout town the next day. By this, I mean that nobody wanted to talk about what had happened, as they were all fairly shaken up – and yet, the words couldn't contain themselves any longer and escaped their mouths, whispering and muttering from here to there like a ghostly breeze.

'Who would be so heartless to do such a thing?' Sally whispered, looking worried.

'Anyone who's stupid enough to mess with the law,' Sarge growled.

'Actually, I reckon their leader is pretty damn sneaky when it comes to that,' Ramone muttered.

'One of them tried-a to steal my tyres!' cried Luigi indignantly.

'Not coooool, man,' Fillmore drawled.

As the residents of Radiator Springs sat at Flo's and talked about the situation rather than concentrate on their fuel beverages, Doc Hudson finally emerged from the clinic nearby. Everyone suddenly went quiet and all eyes turned to the old former racecar, waiting with bated breath for the verdict. Lightning was the first to act. He slowly rolled over to Doc and automatically asked him on behalf of everyone else, with a slightly trembling voice.

'Is he going to be all right, Doc?'

Doc Hudson nodded gravely. 'Yes, he'll live. Had he been injured any more, his life may have just been taken away.'

Sally sighed. 'Oh, thank Chrysler.'

'You may come in and give him company if you like,' replied Doc. 'He's asleep… boy, does he need it. I'm not sure the poor man could take many more years of doing his job.'

Lightning and Sally followed Doc into the clinic. When they saw Sheriff, they were relieved, but a mixed feeling of anxiety and sorrow seemed to tingle inside both of their engines. Most of the old police officer's wounds had been welded and fixed back into his natural body shape, and there was no sign of any splattered oil. But Sheriff still looked like he had been caught up in a tractor stampede as he rested unconsciously on the raised pillar.

A fair amount of frail silence passed while the two cars sat by Sheriff's side and sadly took it all in. Radiator Springs' only police officer, beaten down for what seemed to be no reason at all…

'Oh, Sheriff,' whispered Sally as tears formed in her eyes. 'If only you knew how much everyone misses you.'

Only the shallow sound of Sheriff's breaths followed – and then his eyelid twitched. After blinking weakly a few times, his eyes found those of Lightning and Sally, who felt reassured smiles spreading on their bumpers.

'Hey, you're awake,' Lightning said softly.

Now it was Sheriff's turn to take everything in. After noticing the shiny metal and marble objects around him, he realized he was in Doc's clinic. Of course… the last thing he remembered was being attacked by someone… after attempting to shift uncomfortably on his axles, he found himself wincing in pain and felt fire shoot through the gashes in his frame. Wow… and to think, only one car had done all this to him?

'Sheriff?' Sally's worried voice rung out.

He opened his eyes a little wider, returning from his thoughts. 'Sally… Lightning?' he croaked. It was painful even to talk.

'We've been so worried about you,' Lightning whispered. 'How are you feeling?'

Sheriff sighed heavily. 'I've had better days… but at least I'm lucky to be alive.' He smiled faintly at Doc, in spite of his condition. 'Thank you, old friend.'

'But of course,' Doc murmured softly, sadly smiling back. He lightly touched the tyre of his long-term companion. The two cars had known each other for at least 30 years, and their own friendship was unbreakable to date. 'We've had the delinquents impounded, by the way. They must have been crazy to attack you like that. You can give them a good old thrashing – in fact, prison in the city should hold them.'

Sheriff looked at him. 'Doc… I… I'm not sure who did it, to be honest.'

Lightning blinked. 'What do you mean?'

'They didn't all attack me. You see… it was only one of them. And I never saw their face.'

* * *

'The Radiator Springs Traffic Court will come to order!'

Doc Hudson's voice rang out through the hall. This was instantly followed by a lingering hush of all voices in the courtroom. Everyone in Radiator Springs was present, while Sheriff stayed in Doc's clinic for additional rest.

As Doc Hudson spoke, the double doors opened – and the silence turned from cold to positively frozen. The four Delinquent Road Hazards ambled slowly into the room, surrounded by twelve icy gazes, and took their place in front of the judge's podium. This was it. It was time… time to find out who had attacked Sheriff.

* * *

_Noooope, **no voting yet** - that happens after I release the NEXT chapter! For now, reviewsplzthx._


	4. The Trial

_The fourth chapter - it's here! What's gonna happen? Let's find out..._

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Trial**

'Ladies and gentlemen, we are present here today to make a definite and final confirmation on the case of who assaulted the Sheriff of Radiator Springs. This time we have four culprits, and according to the victim's information, only one of them is the attacker.'

As Doc Hudson's deep voice echoed over the roofs of everyone in the building, the Delinquent Road Hazards seemed to shrink slightly under his somewhat intimidating presence. They glanced nervously at one another, and then quickly looked away again – best friends suspecting their mates of a crime that they all could have committed together, as a team. This whole situation was already causing their friendship to fall apart…

'Mr Tyler "Boost" Gibson, please step forward.'

Boost's mind snapped out of these skeptical thoughts, and quickly edged towards the podium, straining a little to look up at Doc. The old Hornet cleared his throat and unexpectedly produced a small file of papers, presumably containing records of Boost's criminal activities.

'Do you have a lawyer, Mr Gibson?'

Silence.

'…No, your Honor,' came the eventually mumbled reply.

'In fact, none of us have lawyers,' DJ added on.

Doc Hudson looked at the Scion. 'Did I ask you to speak, Mr Parker?' There was something in his gaze that DJ didn't like the look of, so he sheepishly kept his mouth shut and said no more.

'Well, is _anybody_ here likely to be a lawyer for them?' Doc said almost sarcastically.

More silence. _Dammit!_ was written all over the Delinquents' faces.

'…Okay then.' Doc fixed his gaze on Boost. 'Mr Gibson, where were you at approximately nine-thirty pm last night?'

'I was at Flo's, just having a quiet drink,' came Boost's cool reply.

'Yes, and Sheriff was found lying in a pool of his own oil directly beneath the town's blinking traffic light. This light is clearly observed to be positioned right outside Flo's café. So if you were not the one who attacked Sheriff, then where were you at that time?'

Boost blinked. 'Um, I think I had gone to check on DJ and Wingo some time past then…'

'Past, or at the exact time?'

'Not sure,' Boost shrugged.

'And that's all you remember?'

Boost nodded, almost boredly. Was this really getting anywhere?

'Okay. Thank you, Mr Gibson. You may withdraw from the front of the court now. Next, we have… Mr Dominic Jack "DJ" Parker and Mr Adrian "Wingo" Kochi. Please step forward, you two.'

DJ and Wingo looked at each other and did as they were told.

'I understand that you were both together inside the Impound at the time of Sheriff's attack,' said Doc Hudson. 'Now, can you remember exactly what time Boost came to see you?'

Wingo started to distractedly blurt something out, but DJ looked confused and interrupted him. 'Um, to be honest, I think it was almost ten-thirty when Boost came to the Impound.'

Wingo stared in disbelief at his best friend as this was said. 'Shut up, DJ,' he hissed.

Doc Hudson raised an eyebrow. 'So… let me get this straight. Mr Gibson came to visit you and Mr Kochi at approximately nine-thirty in the evening, but Mr Parker says it was in fact an hour later when he got there. How is this possible? Or is someone telling lies?'

Murmuring broke out from the crowd. Sally looked somewhat worried.

Boost sighed impatiently. 'Look, I did go to visit them, but not as early at nine-thirty. Now when I think about it, I did leave Flo's at that time, but…' His eyes suddenly brightened. 'That's it. I had gone to look for Snot Rod first.' Nobody could tell if the shine in his eyes was one of honesty or a successful lie. 'I don't think I arrived as late as what DJ said though,' he added, looking oddly at a nervous DJ.

'Well… I…' DJ began, looking down at the floor.

'Enough about that,' Doc said. 'Mr Parker, Mr Kochi – did either of you leave the Impound at any time last night?'

'No, your Honor,' Wingo replied. DJ looked sideways at him, frowning slightly. Was Ladderbutt trying to look all cute and innocence or what?

'All right, you two may withdraw. Last, we have…' Doc Hudson read the nickname on the paper over twice. '…Mr Ray "Snot Rod" Elliott.'

'Elliott? Why does that sound familiar?' Lightning whispered unexpectedly, but by that time a very shaky Snot Rod had approached the podium, his eyes wide and anxious. He had obviously never been inside a proper courtroom before.

'Mr Elliott, where were you located at nine-thirty last night?'

'I… I was taking a quick drive,' Snot Rod squeaked nervously, shifting uncomfortably on his tyres. 'Y'know, just to loosen my frame up a little after pulling Bessie for so long.'

Doc nodded. 'Where exactly did you go?'

'Down the road a little… in the direction of the Tow Mater place,' the muscle car replied, his voice growing a little stronger. 'And then I got, sort of, chased a little by a stray tractor, so I'm not sure if I went off-road then but I probably did.'

Everyone stared at him. You could have heard Doc blinking suspiciously, as it was so silent.

'It's true!' Snot Rod said indignantly. 'Even if it does seem a little strange.'

'How soon did Mr Gibson find you?' asked Doc.

Snot Rod licked his lips nervously. 'Umm… I think after about five minutes encountering the tractor… the damn thing wouldn't leave me alone, you know.'

'And then it took another fifty-five minutes to get back to the Impound?'

Snot Rod shrugged. 'That I can't explain.'

Doc Hudson sighed wearily. 'Any other information? From anyone?' he added, when only more silence filled the air. Everyone glanced at each other, expecting a non-existent confession from someone, but it did not come.

'Okay,' Doc said quietly. 'Mr Elliott, you may withdraw from the podium face now. Delinquents, please remain seated and avoid discussion. Everyone else, please give patience while I confer with the town attorney, Sally Carrera. We are deciding on our final decision.'

Ten long, dreadful minutes ambled by as Sally and Doc quietly talked outside. The crowd of Radiator Springs folk murmured amongst each other, sharing suspicions, theories and worries. It was even worse for the Delinquent Road Hazards themselves, however. Only one of them could have attacked Sheriff, and that someone would be the car on their way to prison very soon. DJ felt an apologetic look twitch in his face as he looked at Wingo, knowing that best friends could easily be separated. Boost looked a little bored and impatient, but still tense all the same. And Snot Rod simply stared into space, lost in his own saddening thoughts – when suddenly, he found a familiar voice floating towards him.

'Hey, uh… forgive me if I sound rude or anything, but… did you say your last name was Elliott?' Lightning asked, a little timidly.

Snot Rod looked at him, surprised. 'Um… well… yeah. Why?'

'Oh, it's just that… you do really remind me of a certain car who used to be in the drag racing league when I was little,' Lightning said, his blue eyes fixed upon the green ones of the shy delinquent. 'He was a pretty well known muscle car. Didn't look quite the same as you, but…'

'Well, I'm afraid I don't know anything about it,' Snot Rod concluded. His voice seemed a little sharp when he said it. Lightning nodded and rolled slowly back towards his place, wondering why Snot Rod seemed so mysterious all of a sudden – but then the double doors opened, and a few gasps gripped the atmosphere. Doc Hudson and Sally came back in, taking their original places. The Delinquents felt each of their frames become numb with fear. _This was it… this was it…_

'Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached a final… yet unusual decision. As there is no further evidence that can be found, and we have a number of theories that do not match up and yet can't say exactly who is the attacker… plus by judgment of their appalling criminal records…'

There was a terrifying pause. The Delinquents stared upwards; their mouths open, waiting. Doc even had a very slight trace of sadness and regret in his voice as he said the following words:

'I… I hereby sentence all four Delinquents; Mr Gibson, Parker, Kochi and Elliott; to six solid months of imprisonment each in –'

The double doors loudly burst open again. Everyone turned, astonished, to see a green Mitsubishi Roadster in the doorway.

'Stop!' she exclaimed. 'I know who attacked Sheriff! It was…'

* * *

_**IT IS TIME TO VOTE!** Who do YOU think attacked Sheriff? Simply place your vote in your review, or even by private messaging if you want. I'm going to count up everyone's final votes on **Friday**, so make sure you tell everyone and get them to put forward their opinions. Good luck!_


	5. The Almighty Conclusion

_Thank you all for voting! This is the final chapter - and now we find out what happened, and whodunnit... dramatic sound effects_

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Almighty Conclusion**

'…It was him!' The Mitsubishi Roadster pointed with her tyre. All eyes swiveled to look at which Delinquent Road Hazard she was pointing at. There was a huge outbreak of gasps, followed by an eruption of surprised and angry babbling. Doc Hudson and Sally were both speechless.

The orange Plymouth Barracuda bowed his hood in shame, feeling horribly defeated and almost disgusted in himself.

His companions stared at him in shock. Snot Rod… the shy, uncoordinated muscle car who you could barely call a delinquent. He had always been the least likely to perform any criminal activities that the others were so confident in doing for their own entertainment. How could it have possibly been him?

'…There… there's been a mistake,' Boost said perplexedly. 'He couldn't have done it, right?' He wasn't even believing his own words at his point.

'It was him,' Kelora said firmly. 'I remember it all from the night before, after seeing the Sheriff for directions.' She rolled to the front as everyone fell silent, and turned to the audience. 'Believe it or not, here is what really happened….'

_I reach the outskirts of the town and pass a brick wall with a mural on it. There are two cars painted, both grinning widely, beyond the words "Radiator Springs: A Happy Place." I smile, knowing that I'll have to come back here some time._

_I'm just about to head down the exit road when suddenly, a sputtering engine and some vague vocal grunts sound from behind me. I turn, and find myself face to face with a little stray tractor, looking lost and confused. It weaves over the road in a blind frustration, and upon seeing me, the poor creature appears to think I'm one of its kind. Before I know it, the tractor is following me._

'_No! Bad tractor!' I say nervously, backtracking away from it. 'Go back to the –'_

_I suddenly utter a small scream as I tumble backwards off the raised road and into the large space of desert and cacti, which surrounds the outskirts of Radiator Springs. The tractor skids down after me, and gives me an almighty lick._

'_Eugh!' I almost laugh as I scramble to my tyres and climb back up into an alleyway that passes the courthouse and stretches into the main road. I glance back down Radiator Springs – and instantly see the Sheriff being thrown against the wall, yelling in pain._

_My mouth drops open and I gasp. Suddenly everything around me has disappeared, and all my attention is focused on a bright orange muscle car pinning the police officer down with a murderous look in his green eyes. He mutters something viciously, and then violently slams Sheriff in the hood with his tyre. My frame goes numb and I feel a nasty chill run down my roof as I watch in horror. The muscle car rips Sheriff's tyres out, mauls his side, tears his hood off… tears springs to my eyes and I'm about to leap forward and scream for him to stop it, but something jerks me backwards. It's the tractor again, obviously fascinated in me. I struggle desperately to get free so I can save the Sheriff, but the tractor persists, and I end up hauling myself back up the road away from it, until the muscle car is lost from sight completely… that damn tractor won't leave me alone!_

'When the tractor finally stopped chasing me and wandered off, I found myself stranded in the middle of the road, miles away from Radiator Springs.' Kelora gave a mild laugh, in spite of her horrendous recount. 'Had the tractor not been so… insightful, I would have had a chance to save the Sheriff and stop that delinquent. It's strange, but it's all true.'

'Wait… didn't Snot Rod actually say that a tractor chased him?' DJ piped up.

'Yes.' Snot Rod spoke for the first time, his throat choked up with guilt. 'I wasn't lying about that part. A tractor did chase me… but that was before I decided to attack Sheriff. She pretty much described what the tractor was like for me just then.'

'So… why did you attack Sheriff?' Doc snarled, feeling his anger rise.

Snot Rod sighed deeply, feeling tears form in his eyes. He looked down at the floor. 'I… I don't really know…' He struggled to get the words out. They echoed around the courtroom, stinging the speaker like angry wasps. He plunged on. 'I just felt, well, really mad, is all… I-I didn't mean to hurt him that badly… I was just really sick of the situation, and pulling Bessie, and stuff.' He paused for a moment to blink back his tears, aware of all the cars around him. 'I don't know what got into me,' he mumbled finally.

There was silence all around. A rather strange kind of silence, really. The situation had been solved, but it just seemed even more worse to know what had really happened.

'It's kinda odd of him, really,' Wingo said, breaking the silence. 'He's not the murderous type.'

Doc sat on the podium for a moment, thoughts encircling his hood like a halo of solved and unsolved mysteries. 'Well…' He sighed and looked Snot Rod right in the eye. 'All four of you are clearly known to cause havoc around here, but this… what you have done here… this is just appalling. I would have expected better of you. Attacking an elderly and respected police officer like that, when you couldn't have sunk any lower! My fury for your actions is indescribable. And it's now that I sentence you to –'

'Look, JUST SHUT UP, ALL RIGHT?' Snot Rod bellowed angrily.

More gasps. The other three Delinquents stared at the Plymouth Barracuda.

'Just SHUT UP about it!' he snapped again, shaking between a mix of frustration and sorrow. 'I know what I did was wrong, okay? There's no need to go on and on about it! There's no need to give me all that crap! Just throw me in jail and be done with it! My life has gone downhill for as long as I can remember, and this is no surprise. "When I couldn't have sunk any lower?" Yeah, right. I'm sinking all the time, and I don't need all this mouth of yours to make it worse.' He stopped, staring heatedly up at a surprised Doc. Tears glittered in Snot Rod's eyes again as he looked fixedly at the old Hornet, his expression melting from angry to what could not have been denied as shameful.

'…I want to apologize,' he murmured.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon, and the recent horrific happenings in Radiator Springs had dissolved into a peaceful, sleepy atmosphere, after everything had finally calmed down about the mystery. Three young male tuners waited side by side outside Doc Hudson's clinic. Two of them were talking quietly to each other. The third one was asleep in the heat of the sun.

The double doors slowly creaked open, and Snot Rod emerged. DJ awakened and mumbled something to himself about Eminem, then saw Snot Rod and snapped to reality. Boost and Wingo stopped talking and gazed back at the muscle car, unable to work out the odd expression on his face. Was he depressed… or happy?

'Well… what happened?' Wingo asked gently.

The Barracuda's expression remained sincerely neutral. 'It was hard for me to apologize… even though I was the one making myself say sorry in the first place. But I'm surprised Sheriff even forgave me after what I did. I tore him up so bad.' He voice wobbled a little as he said this. 'We sort of had a little conversation… it was kind of okay… and you know what? Sheriff told me I was free to go. Because of the way I treated him just now after traffic court.' He smiled faintly. 'So I guess I'm not a jailbird, even though I deserve to be one.'

Boost and Wingo stared at him, not knowing what to say.

'…It's times like this I were as nice as you, Roddy,' Boost said eventually. 'I could never be so… kind, to a cop like that.'

Snot Rod chuckled. 'It doesn't hurt. Besides, why would you want to wind up like me anyway? I've never been a great gang member, really.'

DJ nudged him lightly with his tyre. 'But you're our friend, and that's what counts.'

A moment of happy silence passed between the Delinquent Road Hazards, like a warm aura that seemed to reflect the good side in this seemingly bad boys. Just then, Kelora approached the clinic, looking past them to open the double doors.

'Uhh, hey,' Snot Rod began.

Kelora turned to face him. 'Um… yes? Mad that I got you in trouble?'

Snot Rod shrugged. 'No. The opposite, in fact. You kinda… told the truth about me, and… I feel better now that I've had a chance to apologize and everything. I would have been too scared to confess myself. So in a way, I guess you helped me.'

The Mitsubishi Roaster stared for a moment – and then smiled compassionately at him. 'Hey… you're one of a kind to deliberately set everything right like that. And I know that no other car could have possibly owned up to being truly… guilty.'

THE END

* * *

_Yay, the end! Thank you all for reading and commenting, you've been GREAT. Here are the voting results, by the way._

_**Boost -** 3  
**DJ -** 2  
**Wingo -** 1  
**Snot Rod -** 7_


End file.
